Wilderness Village Campground Resort — Hotel in Alberta

We stayed for 2 nights Fri Sept 5 - Sun Sept 7 at a glamping site with king bed. Two adults and 3 kids and had planned to have a tent on site for the kids but were told the glamping sites didn't really accommodate additional tents. We were advised to just bring an additional air mattress for the glamping tent which we did. From what we saw, depending on the glamping site, you could fit an additional tent but we were glad to have everyone in one space with light and heat given how chilly it got overnight.

Check in was straightforward but we forgot our key so staff brought it out to us. They were also quick to respond when we said our heater wasn't working the first night which was really appreciated. Temperature in glamping tent with the heater made a big difference.

Glamping tent is pretty spacious and we were able to fit everyone in there. There is electricity, a fan, a heater and lighting along with a chest to store things and foldable tables. Kids were quite excited to learn they still had access to guest wifi for tablets and we were located right beside the bathrooms which made it very convenient with kids (Blueberry site #4).

Other amenities were really nice like the two pools and hot tubs and very clean bathrooms/showers. Water pressure was good and nice warm showers. Kids also enjoyed the playground. We were just a little disappointed organized kid activities had ended in August since I was hoping they'd make friends that way.

We had initially tried to book with a group of friends but the booking restrictions and availability for cabins wasn't there. Friends weren't willing to pay $160 a night for glamping tents and chafed at cabins being limited to one family unit. They would've preferred to split the cost between 2 families for cabins that accommodated 8 people (4 adults + 4 kids or 3 adults + 5 kids, etc.). Since the limit per cabin was 2 adults/guardians + x dependents, you wouldnt be able to plan for grandparents to come along either. Because of that inflexibility, I would rate a little lower. Camping with friends and family is always funner and the kids did say they wish they could come back with friends. A search for tenting sites for our dates had showed no availability so we were surprised there were many empty sites around us on arrival.

Overall the experience was really enjoyable and I didn't mind splurging a bit. If you looked at it as a cost for "camping" it would seem high, but I found it more akin to a hotel experience with the glamping and facilities. I didn't mind paying hotel prices for the best of both worlds. My partner really liked the unlimited firewood and next year we hope to make it out during their high season for the full experience.

We didn't get to try the restaurant, mini golf, courts, arcade, or biking but had a nice time on our site and at the playground and pool. Ice cream was $3 for a kiddie cone which was very reasonable and delicious.

Things I wish we had known before / would do differently next time / wish we had:

1. Our unicorn floaty was considered too big for the pools so we'd bring pool noodles instead next time

2. Wish our glamping porch had light bc it got hard to see when cooking there after dark. Would bring extra lamps next time.

3. A portable campfire grill to cook food over the campfire to save on propane

4. Book in July or August so kids can participate in organized activities

5. Bring an over the door organizer to stay organized

6. There were many grocery stores, restaurants, etc. in nearby town of Rocky Mountain House 15 min away. We regretted filling our gas tank for 1.39 in Calgary when it was 1.22 there. Wouldn't stress about forgetting any items bc easy and close to get into town to purchase. Another plus was it being relatively close to Calgary - just over 2 hours away.

7. Two nights felt a bit rushed and too short of a stay so we would prefer 3 nights minimum. Overall the kids loved it and want to go back right away which makes it...

Buyer Beware! What they do not tell you about this resort!

This resort boasts a 5 Star rating but when you are there it is not. They sell their memberships at almost 2 to 1. That means there are 2 members for every spot. They also rent to non-members which means even more campers per spot. What this means is that when it is a busy weekend you are not guaranteed a spot to camp. You can spend thousands of dollars for your membership and be put into a field with no services until a spot becomes available. Yes, non-members will stay on their site while you sit in a field, possibly with other campers in the same situation. If you have been camping for a while you may be asked to leave so someone else can have your spot!

The yearly maintenance dues are being raised every year but without any additional services being provided. We have been told in the past, that raising the costs to members helps keep the costs to non-members lower!

Additional Costs - To have your camper on a site for the season or the 3 Year program you must put your name in a draw. If your name is picked for a seasonal lot, you are required to pay an additional $3500 on top of your maintenance dues. The only perk you get is that you do not have to move your trailer every 15 days. The cost for the 3-year program is over $10k and again this is in addition to your yearly maintenance dues making your 3-year cost almost $17k and that is if the yearly dues are not raised.

Only members and their guests are allowed to camp on long weekends. Even though this is the case this is when the most problems occur. From people being towed on and not showing up to damaging comfort stations and other resort facilities. This is sad as this is their campground but allow this to happen. They are taken care of after the fact but too little too late in my opinion.

A new pool was put in during 2019. Members were required to pay extra for this, and this (I believe) has created a huge self-entitlement whereas members do not feel they need to follow the rules. The pool is not monitored and even though signs are posted alcohol and food are constantly by the pool side and if you say something you are met with hostility and good luck getting management involved to sort out the problem! The other issue is that members use the pool as a babysitting service. Children are constantly sent to the pool without the required adult supervision. These members expect everyone else to take care of their children and when the child does something wrong there is no one to talk to.

The amenities are dwindling as the petting zoo and horseback riding have pulled out of the resort. This was a great attraction but sadly they left. The children have a craft time but again members use this as either a babysitting service or a bunch of adults come with one child taking up room that other children could use.

There is security at the campground, but they have no authority and are not roving patrols. There have been many instances where campers are damaged or broken into in the RV parking area. These areas are not continually monitored or patrolled. Also, people from neighbouring areas come and use the resort facilities for free. This includes the pools, hot tubs, wash houses, laundry, arcade, and everything else. Again, without any active monitoring there is nothing to stop this.

As being part of this campground for 4 generations we have seen a lot of changes. Changes for the sake of change are not necessarily a good thing and the changes that have come of late have been done (IMHO) to please the self-entitled and for the members that feel they are the sole proprietors!

This campground used to be a haven for everyone, and everyone looked out for each other but now the resort feels like any other campground, just more costly!

This review is to give potential buyers a complete picture of the resort before paying...

We had a large group of family book in February when the bookings opened. We knew it was a first come first serve for sites. We arrived and were first in line. We went to the check in (we were 1.5 hours early) and asked if we could check in early they said no come back at 2 ( which was fine). But then when the men approached they were told they could go look at the camp sites and pick out their spots. When it was time we went in got the spots we had picked out which were a few sites away from each other because other people are already checked in for other dates. But we were all in tents except one, and the designated tenting sites all had campers in them expect for two, which we took (in the area that we chose). We get all set up no issues. Then at 8:30pm the patrol people showed up to hassle us, stating we had too many tents in our site. That we are only allowed one tent in the site. Then handed us a rule book told us to turn to page 10. And they stayed for about 15-20mins stating this wasn’t allowed. And that “the members were concerned we were overcrowded” and told us we could go to overflow for tents. But we had actually booked a double reservation for the one site. They said they would need to talk to management the next day. I read the rule book on page 10 that they handed us, there was nothing stating how many tents were allowed in a site. It stated 2 RVs and a tent. So one would assume that means 3 spaces per site, no where in the rule book did it stated one tent per site. They never came back the next day. We are sure someone reported us, aka a member. This was after the patrol had driven past our site multiple times and didn’t say anything. Anytime you talked to a staff member from check n to the office to the patrol none of them seemed to be on the same page or tell you the same information, it makes it very hard to know what you’re actually supposed to do or not do. There’s too many rules. Ex: no visitors, seems stupid. The amenities are nice such as the pool, the inside bathrooms with showers, there were activities. But because of the terrible customer service and making us feel like we “are less than” because we are in tents, I would NEVER recommend this place or come back. And it seems by all of the reviews that this is the norm. Maybe they need to make it a members only campground and not open to the public if...